


Beautiful

by MamaFriesmeal



Category: Engine Sentai Go-Onger
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 11:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1548437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaFriesmeal/pseuds/MamaFriesmeal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kegalesia and Hant go clothes shopping and have a discussion about the interpretation of words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful

“If you’re going to keep living in Human World, you’re going to need some regular clothes.”

That’s what Hant had told her over breakfast that morning as an explanation as to why they were going out shopping for her that afternoon. And now as they moved through the shopping district, Kegalesia keep a few steps behind Hant, anxious as they moved down the crowded sidewalk. She was anxious about the whole thing, not sure why the old clothing she’d scrounged up in Ginjiro wasn’t good enough. But apparently they were too “old” and “dirty” for her to keep going out in public in, and if it would stop the complaining she would go and pick out something new.

Hant looked at a shop window full of dresses and women’s clothes and smiled over at Kegalesia. “Let’s try this place! this stuff seems pretty nice!”

“If you say so, ojaru.” Kegalesia sighed, following behind him as he pushed the door open and led her in. She followed him through the store, letting him pick up clothing and hold it up to her, trying to respond positively as he asked her opinions on the things he picked. She really didn’t have many opinions on it. Some of it did look nice, but she worried she was going too far in looking human by doing this. She still had some pride as a Gaiark. But masquerading as human would keep her out of trouble, and she supposed that a was the point.

Hant put two hangars into her arms, one with a blouse and one with a sweater, and tugged her toward the changing rooms. “Here! Try these on! I think this is the right size.” He pushed her lightly toward one of the curtained changing rooms and Kegaleisa sighed, batting him away.  
“Fine! I’m going! Don’t push, ojaru!” Kegalesia groaned, ducking behind the curtain. She took off her shirt and put not he blouse and sweater, looking at herself from a few different angles. Not bad at all. She at least looked normal and somewhat respectable like this. She turned and pushed the curtain out of the way. “Well, what do you think, ojaru?”

Hant stared for a few seconds as Kegalesia stepped out of the changing room. Unsettled by it, Kegalesia withdrew a step. “W-What, ojaru?” she grumbled, crossing her arms. Hant glanced away, light color rising in his cheeks.

“It’s just… you look beautiful in that.” he said quietly. Kegalesia let out a disgusted sound and without even stepping back into the changing room began to yank off the clothes she’d changed into. Hant yelped and grabbed her by the shoulders, shoving her back into the changing room. He quickly looked over his shoulder, peeking around the curtain. It didn’t look like anyone had seen her. He quickly turned his back to her, blushing deeply. “W-What in the world were you doing?!”

“I’m not going to wear it if you’re going to call me that.” Kegalesia said with a snarl, turning away from him to continue yanking the clothing off angrily. Hant looked back, taking in her angry profile as she tossed the sweater into the corner and began tugging the blouse over her head. He’d forgotten how much she hated being called that. Even after all of this time, he still hadn’t really adjusted to the culture gap between them. “It’s disgusting,” Kegalesia continued, still angry and clearly intent on scolding him, “It’s bad enough I look this close to human… For me to be ‘beautiful’…” Her voice trailed off and she just stared down at the shirt in her hands.

Hant watched her, watched the tension build in her shoulders. He turned toward her, stepping up to her side. He kept his gaze down, not looking at her since she was half dressed and it was bad enough that he was even in the changing room while she was like this, but he placed a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t meant that way. It was a compliment.”

“It’s not a compliment to me, ojaru!”

Hant was startled enough to look over at Kegalesia as she jerked away, startled by the venom on her voice and the bitterness in her expression. “It hurts…” Kegalesia said, the viciousness dropping out of her tone, “It would be like if I called you disgusting. It’s a kind word among Gaiark, ojaru. Light, affectionate. But it would be cruel to you, so I don’t do it, ojaru.” She picked up the worn t-shirt she’d put on that morning and tugged it back over her head. “Nigorl… The Arelunbra prince. Do you remember him, ojaru?”

“I do.” Hant nodded, “but what does he have to do with—“

“We were engaged, ojaru.” Kegalesia said bluntly, “Since my childhood. He was obsessed with ‘beautiful’ things, ojaru. Day and night all he did was talking about my ‘beauty’ and how I should cherish it even though to our people it was a terrible awful thing. It was insulting and no matter what I said he shouldn’t stop, ojaru. So I rejected him. I caused a political upheaval that lead to an entirely new regime because I hated being called beautiful, ojaru!” Hant was stunned. He’d never known the details of her connection to Nigorl, nor how deeply the word ‘beautiful’ cut her as an insult. Hant regretted the way he’d continued to speak to her as if believing she would just get over those feelings and come to accept the word for what it meant in Human World.

Hant stepped away from Kegalesia to pick up the clothing she’d tossed away. He looked down at it. “I’m sorry”, he repeated, “I… think I understand now, and I won’t say it again.” He took the hangers, putting the clothes back onto them, “But what I mean when I say it… It’s that I like to look at you.” Hant blushed, stumbling a bit on his words as he tried to explain his feelings, “Not just because I think you’re attractive. I do, I mean. But that’s not just it. For a long time, I only knew you as someone angry who wanted to hurt things.” Hant looked back at her and smiled a little, “But since you’ve come back, I’ve gotten to see you live a normal life and be happy. Back then, I never thought about you being able to live that way. I didn’t think you were the sort of person who could live like this. Seeing you as you are now makes me happy.”

Kegalesia sighed, taking the hangers from him. “Let’s just pay for this stuff and go home, ojaru.”

“We’ll need more than just this.” Hant gave a small smile and followed her out.

Kegalesia rolled her eyes, “I’m done for the day. You can go buy more women’s clothing on your own time, ojaru.”


End file.
